


A Dove's Offering

by yuhudis



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Free Time Events (Dangan Ronpa), Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25471732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuhudis/pseuds/yuhudis
Summary: Celestia meets with Makoto today. She thinks that, deep down, they might just be a little similar.(Spoilers for Chapter 3 and Celestia's first free time event.)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	A Dove's Offering

Her name is Celestia Ludenburg. She's adapted to life trapped in the halls of Hope's Peak Academy.

(Her name is Taeko Yasuhiro, and she is very claustrophobic.)

It's easy to wake up to the same ceiling everyday. The monotony somehow makes the transition… easier. She clips on her drills and steps outside with impeccable posture, ready to greet the classmates she's quickly grown accustomed to.

(Taeko doesn't exist outside of Celestia Ludenburg's dorm room. She dies every time she puts on the blood-red contacts, her corpse reanimating everytime she takes them out. Taeko is suffocating.)

This morning, Celestia thinks she will talk to Makoto. She doesn't understand how someone so disgustingly average could stand among the rest of them. All on account of luck? Don't make her laugh. So she investigates.

(Makoto Naegi is Taeko Yasuhiro. Ultimate Lucky Student meets Ultimate Gambler. The only difference is that Taeko is a liar.)

"Makoto, I would like to share something with you," Celestia leads the conversation as she always does. A boring conversational partner makes it all the easier.

And his surprise is incredibly earnest. He's an open book with nothing to hide. (Taeko is green with envy.) "Huh? What is it?"

"My perfect gambling strategy." The Queen of Liars smiles with practiced ease. (Taeko isn't about to spill her guts to the first person she relates to. She isn't.) 

"Is there really such a thing?!"

And he falls into her trap. (And he falls into her trap.)

"Of course there is. Are you ready? Please pay attention." Celestia might scream if he doesn't. Listen to her. Listen to this irrevocably interesting woman. If a loser like him dares to ignore her, she would snap. (This is Taeko's Ultimate Test. She had perfected her mask years ago, could Makoto see it? The average girl who is so, so frightened of mediocrity?)

"Whatever the game, you must have a mind for strategy. This will allow you to increase your odds of winning." Simple nonsense. Someone as basic as Makoto deserves a basic introduction to games. (Makoto gets a basic introduction to Taeko's life. He has to understand. He has to.)

And now to turn that all on its head. "However, the exciting part about gambling is that there is a power which can overwhelm any strategy. That power is luck."

(Taeko feels a bit like she's talking to a mirror. Even so, her dread builds up. He isn't going to understand, is he?)

"Luck…"

Ah. Aha. Makoto Naegi is clueless, isn't he? (Taeko wants to leave. She wants to accept her loses and  _ go. _ ) Well, Celestia never left a game half-finished. She was hardly going to start now, just because her opponent (opponent…?) was on the denser side.

So she spouts off about the simple nature of luck. Uncontestable favoring by fate. "The bottom line is, luck is life. Do you see what I am saying?"

(This is the closest thing to an olive branch that Taeko has ever offered ever since Celestia Ludenburg was born.)

And Makoto is as oblivious as ever. Celestia almost storms away, but resists. Celestia Ludenburg is polite and poised.

(Makoto Naegi might be the real Ultimate Gambler. Wouldn't that be funny? Taeko just slipped in because Makoto was too earnest to gamble.)

(What might be funnier is that maybe Taeko was the real Ultimate Lucky Student. Celestia Ludenburg never had to exist. Taeko Yasuhiro never had to die.)

* * *

So many of Celestia's classmates live—  _ lived— _ a double-life. Frankly, she's surprised. 

(Would Taeko's secret be greeted with such acceptance?)

(It doesn't matter. Taeko isn't going to die here.)

**Author's Note:**

> I love Celestia's (er, Celeste's. I'm not sure which name I should use, so I just went with the one on the character tag, haha) character. Yeah, she's not exactly sympathetic. A lot of people hate her, understandably. I still like her.
> 
> It's kind of cool to look back and realize that every moment she spends acting composed, she's acting. Her rare moments of emotion (discounting the Chapter 3 Investigation, haha) have been explosive and genuine. Like how sudden the tea scene seems— it just shows how angry she is at her helplessness. She can't even have tea right.
> 
> Also, I have mad respect for her. Even after Chapter 3, where she LOST, she just takes it. She doesn't ruin it for everyone else. She easily could have ratted AE out to Monokuma, but she doesn't. In fact, she just hands over the key to Kyoko. Surprisingly helpful for someone who's supposedly really selfish, right?


End file.
